Come After Me
by CreativeChilde
Summary: Ron, after the war, is in emotional turmoil and pain. He finds an unlikely man to heal and to be healed by. Another of my strange Lucius HP slash fics. oneshotish


**Title:**_**"Come After Me"**_

**Disclaimer:**The characters and settings in this story do not belong to me. J. K. Rowling and associates own them. Nor am I making money with this story. Oh but do I wish I thought it up first.

**Summary:**Postwar, not completely compliant with seventh book. Ron, upset and despairing, finds a similar broken heart and soul in an unexpected man. The two cling to each other for life and love and bond deeply. The depths of his devotion, however, are unnoticed until it is too late. When torn apart, Ron can only think to do one thing. Follow Lucius.

**Rating:**PG-13 cuz that's a safe place to be! xD

**Genre:**Agnst/slash/partial hurt and comfort

**Warnings:**Mentions of dead people, suicide, not severely explicit snog sessions and general angst and Ron being mean to Harry! (Harry deserves it, the git.) Oh, and Cissa is dead, sadly...

"_**Come After Me"**_

* * *

Ron sat in the hallway on a bench, his hands between his knees as he stared down at the floor. How had this happened? Hermione…Harry…Even Malfoy…How did they all get so horribly hurt and he come out practically unscathed? Frowning, he shook the thoughts from his head. It was because he was such a coward. He lagged behind; he wasn't up there fighting with his friends. He'd been _scared_. Ron's cheeks blossomed with red flowers of embarrassment, God, he'd practically peed his pants!

And now he sat here alive while Harry was unconscious, Hermione woke up to a groggy, moaning and hardly lucid state (only when her pain medicine wore off) and Malfoy was coherent for only two hours a day! He'd been such a bloody idiot…

Tears forced their way from his eyes and rolled down his face as he sat there. They plunged from his cheeks to his arms like angry drops of blood. It hurt to cry, since he'd already done so much of that. It hurt to have the salty droplets course down his burning cheeks like little beads of ice. It hurt to feel them fall to his arms, judging and condemning him.

But that didn't stop them from coming of course…

Loud, angry voices from down the hall caught his despairing attention and he looked up. Several medi-witches were flocked around a proud, blonde man as he walked purposefully down the hall. It was the three of them that were clamoring against, from the sound of it, his visiting anyone.

Finally Lucius Malfoy, as Ron recognized him with a small, fear-filled gasp, shot the women a ferocious glare and they backed away uncertainly. He finished walking down the hallway and stopped outside the door to the room that Harry and Malfoy shared.

"Sir, please," one of the women trembled as she called out, "Just have someone in there with you while you visit? Please!" the other two cowered behind her as she shook in fear.

Lucius's eyes slipped from them to Ron, who had returned to staring at his feet, hoping he would not be noticed. No such luck, as Lucius grabbed him by the arm and hauled him to his feet. "Come on boy. Let's go inside." He opened the door and they disappeared into it.

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Ron stood stalk still by the door as Lucius swept in and over to his son's bed. Ron's blue eyes couldn't help but stare at Harry's pale face and lightly moving chest. His heart pounded wildly in his chest as he stared at his best friend. His nearly dead best friend…

Those tears again, running down his cheeks as he wallowed in the guilt of his actions. He covered his mouth and slid down the wall to his knees, where he shook as wildly as his wand hand had during the Final Battle. He missed the soft footsteps of the man as Lucius walked over to him.

Draco was sleeping now, and supposedly this boy would be able to tell him when he'd be awake. Lucius knelt down beside Ron and cleared his throat.

Ron looked up slowly, blinking tear-filled blue eyes and softly hiccupping. As Lucius stared at him, he was struck with the boy's looks. Aside from his obvious upset, he was not so bad looking for a red-headed freckled faced desolate young man. Not nearly as pretty as Harry or Draco, but he did have something that the other two did not possess.

Briefly, Lucius wondered what he would have to do to find out what that was. Then he mentally slapped himself for even caring about something as petty as lust right now. He needed to talk to the boy, not screw him.

"Boy, when will Draco awake?" So not to let him turn his head away, Lucius curled his long fingers under the boy's chin, forcing him too look into Lucius's eyes.

"Um…he…he um…" Ron stared in to Lucius's mercury eyes, unable to think as he felt like he was being swallowed up.

Lucius found this slightly annoying, yet interesting. "I asked you a question." He let the threat drip from his voice like venom from the tip of a poisoned blade.

"Soon…I think…" Ron gasped out. He tore his eyes away from Lucius and tried in vain not to blush. "He didn't wake up this morning so he should be able to wake up in a little while."

Lucius tilted his head to the side as he thought about this. "Which one are you again?"

"Huh?" Ron glanced up at him and then just as quickly away.

"Which Weasel boy are you?" Lucius found it irritating he had to spell it out for the boy.

"Ronald…I'm Ron Weasley." Ron swallowed as Lucius turned his face back too look at him.

"Do you not hate my son? Why do you know his schedule so well?" Lucius felt hungry as he stared down into the boy's sapphire blue eyes.

"Well, he and Harry…They're, uh, Harry would appreciate it if I took care of 'im. Draco, um, Malfoy is, well, he's…" Ron wanted to look away from that perfect face and stare at his hands or the floor. He was getting so tongue-tied…

"Draco is?" Lucius led, resisting the urge to just forget about it and snog the boy madly.

"He's Harry's boyfriend!" Ron cried suddenly, pulling away and covering his head with his arms. "He and Harry been going at it since sixth year! That's why Draco was on our side at the Final Battle!"

Lucius sighed, well,_that_ made sense.

A tremulous voice sounded from the other end of the room as Draco half sat up in his bed, "Father?"

Standing, Lucius turned and faced his son. In his chest, his heart leapt for joy. His beautiful, perfect son had survived the battle. On his face, however, he showed none of this joy, instead it was stoic as ever as he approached his son.

He stopped halfway over, however, when Draco asked him, "What did you do to Ron?"

Lucius faltered, glanced over at the trembling red-head and then back to his son. "I only asked him a few simple questions."

"I can't believe they let you in here." Draco spat angrily. "I don't care if you're my father or not, you're still a Death Eater!"

Internally, Lucius reeled under this sudden anger from his son. Draco had been such a controlled boy, careful with showing his emotions, especially in public and Lucius. He took a half step forward and tried to speak, but his voice was missing.

"Don't you come near me! Don't you go near Harry! Don't you even go near Ron or Hermione! If you do I swear I'll get you locked up so fast your head will spin!" Draco's voice rose in anger and fear as shouted at his father.

Lucius wanted to shout right back, but he was too stunned to. And then Draco threw his curve ball viciously.

"You and your stupid beliefs got mum killed! You got my aunt killed and Tonks and George and all the others! You got Snape killed, father! You two were friends! Or the closest thing you have to it! You killed mum and you killed Snape! You keep your hands of death away from me and my friends, father, 'cause if you hurt any of us I'll… I'll!"

Draco stopped, huffing for breath, his face white and drawn. Lucius had already turned away, as if the words didn't exist when he had his back to his son. Slowly, he walked from the room, his tapping cane, Ron's muffled sobs, and Draco's fluttery breath the only sound.

Draco fell back on his pillow, breathing shallowly as Ron slipped out after Lucius.

The man stood by the wall next to the bench, one arm braced against it as his other hand wrapped around the head of his cane. Ron closed the door softly behind him and stared at Lucius's back. His shoulders shook as Ron watched him and the young man thought that the man just might be crying.

Lucius turned his head to regard the boy, his silver eyes dry. But there was a lingering flicker of hurt and anger in them that vanished only when he turned back to the wall. Ron's shuffling steps brought him next to Lucius and he tentatively reached out to touch Lucius's arm. He didn't let his arm go higher than his waist, though, so his knuckles only barely brushed along the top of Lucius's bare hand on his cane.

Lucius turned back around and stared blankly at the seventeen year old. "What?"

Ron pulled his hand back and blushed, "Sorry, I just…" he looked down and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Neither of them said anything for a long time, but Ron could feel Lucius's eyes sliding down him, past him, through him, as he stood there. Finally, Lucius spoke. "He's all I have left."

Ron nodded.

Lucius turned all the way around and stepped closer. "He's the only thing I have left in this world, do you understand that? How can you? You have a litter of siblings!" He gripped Ron's shoulders and shook him, his cane dropping to the floor as he did so. "My son is all I have left! And he does not even recognize me as a father anymore!"

Ron could hear the utter agony in Lucius's cracking voice and tears poured out of his true blue eyes. He soon held his face in his hands, weeping again. He instinctively knew that the man was unable to cry and so he cried for him. He could feel Lucius's pain as clearly as he could his own.

Unexpectedly, Lucius clutched Ron to his chest, holding him tightly against his body as the boy sobbed. Lithe hands stroked shaggy red hair and gripped him securely across the shoulders. Long blonde hair fell over Ron's head as Lucius curled protectively over him. Ron sobbed loudly into Lucius's chest, feeling safe for the first time since the battle nearly a week ago. Feeling sheltered for the first time since he'd hid with Hermione and Harry at Grimmould place.

As the tears tapered off, Ron turned his hands around to clutch Lucius's shirt front. He didn't want to loose this feeling yet. He didn't want to give up this safety. So, as Lucius uncertainly pulled away, he croaked out, "No, please, don't…" and buried his face deeper into the slick silk of Lucius's shirt.

The man couldn't bear to pull away, but standing there was not what he wanted to do either. "Come…Sit." He pulled gently on the boy's elbows as he sat on the bench. Ron sat too, but hung tightly onto Lucius. "It's all right." Lucius ran slim fingers through near curls of red locks and a thin smile graced his lips.

Ron squeezed his eyes shut and listened to the sound of Lucius's heart beat. Trying to calm himself, he took deep breaths and slowly released them. Then the sensation of cool fingers brushed down from his hair past is hear to his cheek. The fingertips rippled down his neck and around to the back like water down a trickling stream. He felt Lucius's other hand rub along his spine and across his shoulder blades.

He looked up at Lucius, confused at these touches yet unable to find the words he wished to ask.

Lucius, the smile replaced with his usual unemotional face, pressed slim lips to Ron's forehead in a gentle kiss. "It's alright." He repeated; his eyes closed as he kissed along Ron's forehead and right side of his face.

Ron trembled, not understanding where this came from or what it meant. But he welcomed the feeling of warmth that spread up from his groin, past his giddy stomach and thrumming heart into his reddening cheeks. Lucius dropped kisses along Ron's freckles as he felt the boy's positive response to his soft touches.

Lucius cautiously brought his lips to Ron's, kissing carefully and tenderly. Ron hesitantly kissed back, his eyes fluttering closed as he opened his mouth and let Lucius in to raid. Lucius did so charily, sucking on Ron's lower lip lightly before even entering. As Lucius proceeded, he elicited muted sounds from the young man's mouth that sent shivers down his spine.

However, the two soon had to part for a breath. Ron, eyes closed, panted raggedly as he leaned against Lucius. Lucius hugged Ron close, breathing slowly as he thought of the implications of what they had just done and what it could lead to. Oh he didn't want to let go of this young man, who was still just a child. He didn't want to let go of something he just found, that could salvage his poor, suffering heart. He didn't want to get rid of Ron… He couldn't…

"Lucius…" Ron whispered eyes opened slightly as he fingered one of the buttons on the man's shirt.

Lucius put a finger over Ron's lips and shushed him. "Shh, Ron…just a moment…" He would have to let him go. That was the way it was…the way it would always be… Dark despair drifted through him and settled in his mind like a fog over the English Channel.

He clutched the boy to him for a moment longer, knowing that soon the boy would need to be let go. Knowing that Ron would realize what had just happened would not, could not, _should_ not happen again. He dug fingers into red hair and through the hand-me-down t-shirt to the boy's skin, clinging to life just a moment longer…

Ron looked up to see the passionless face above him and reached up to touch it. Caressing a cheek, he watched as Lucius opened condemned silver eyes and looked at him from inside a deep and despairing cage. What the face as a whole did not have, those silver eyes could show all on their own.

He licked his lips and swallowed as he formed the jumbled letters in his mind into a hesitant sentence, "Please, Lucius, don't let go."

Lucius's eyes widened in surprise as he saw the sincerity in the open blue eyes rimmed with red from too many tears, "Oh…" the sound came out an a _whoosh_ of breath as he looked into the boy's honest face. Closing his eyes he pressed his lips to Ron's forehead again and replied, "Not unless you want that."

"Don't _ever_ let go." Ron begged. "Promise me…_please_."

"I promise." Lucius found himself saying – no – growling, into red hair. "I promise. I promise I'll _never_ let you go."

Ron shivered at the possessiveness in Lucius's voice.

Footsteps sounded down the hallway, many of them, along with voices. One Ron could easily pick out as his father's, "You let him stay down here alone with that monster?"

The trembling note in the nurse's voice was evident, "He said he just came to see his son!"

Growling again, this time in anger, Lucius summoned his cane to his hand with a snap of his fingers and held Ron closer to his body. Ron stared fearfully down the hallway, his secret joy about to become scrutinized.

Lucius turned his head back and kissed the crown of his hair. Then, suddenly, he Apparated them out of St. Mungo's and into a small, warmly furnished living room. Ron looked up into Lucius's set face and asked, "Where are we?"

Lucius smiled slightly, stroking his forlorn love's hair as he replied, "A little cottage out in the middle of nowhere Ireland. An estate not connected to the Malfoy name."

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Arthur stared at the empty hallway, he'd just felt a surge of magical energy, enough to Apparate… Numbly, he went to Hermione's room she shared with another hurt lass and then checked Harry and Malfoy's. But after finding Ron in neither one, he knew, he just _knew_, Lucius had kidnapped his son.

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They landed on the bear skin rug instead of the couch like Lucius had planned. Laying sprawled on the floor, the man breathed heavily for a moment while Ron coughed. Sitting up, Lucius mechanically ran a hand through his hair as Ron sat up too. They looked at each other for a moment and then Ron began to chuckle.

Arching a delicate eyebrow, Lucius silently demanded to know the reason for his laughter. This made Ron laugh even more, clutching his stomach and curling over until he could hardly breathe and tears pressed the backs of his eyes and dripped down from his chin to the bear's fur. Soon he began to hiccup and suddenly his hysterical laughter turned into ragged sobs as he as he sat there, holding his belly like it bore a fatal wound.

Lucius gathered the boy into his arms and pulled him onto his lap. He stroked red curls and kissed wet cheeks as he held the boy. His kisses turned to licks as he lapped Ron's tears up greedily.

He put his lips to Ron's ear and murmured softly, "You don't need to cry anymore."

Ron sniffed loudly and shook his head.

Lucius licked behind his ear. Ron shivered and half a moan escaped his lips.

Quietly, Lucius repeated himself, "You don't need to cry anymore." He sucked on Ron's neck, raking his teeth over the spot.

This time Ron did moan aloud. "Alright, alright…"

Pulling back, Lucius admired his work, running a fingertip around the darkening mark and letting his lips twist enough to be a half smile. Ron shifted in his arms, straddling his waist and sitting up straight so he could kiss Lucius.

Lucius didn't mind the sloppiness of the kiss, nor the rough hand that gripped his hair avidly. Strangely, he thought to his normally complaining pure-blood self, he found these childish things endearing of the boy. He even let Ron push him back down onto the fur.

When Ron pulled away for a panting breath, Lucius was smiling, gently and only slightly, but it was a smile full of emotion. Ron smiled down at him, feeling excitement thrum through his body like electricity. Straddling him with his knees, Ron leaned down and kissed Lucius's smile.

Like a whirlwind, Lucius caught Ron up and flipped him so he had the boy pinned on his back. He plundered Ron's sweet mouth with his own, sucking out sounds and actions from the boy like he was sucking poison from a wound; one mouthful at a time.

He picked at Ron's clothing until he became irritated with it and just flicked his wand and banished it away. This made Ron yelp as a chill spread goose-bumps along his arms and legs. With another snap of his wrist, Lucius lit the fireplace they lay in front of and it sprang into warm and bright life.

Ron's hands, meanwhile, found their way up under Lucius's shirt and were fingering the subtle outline of muscle on the man. Suddenly Lucius's own clothes vanished and Ron blushed brightly as Lucius sat back and appraised the boy.

Not to be left out, Ron sat up and, well, he _meant_ to "appraise" Lucius, but Lucius pushed him back down to the ground and there were hardly any more coherent thoughts between the two.

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Lying on the bear skin rug, Lucius wondered what they were going to do about food. He could call a house-elf, but that could be dangerous to them if they were going to hide out here for long. Rubbing his chin, he stared at the wooden ceiling and thought of what to do.

Ron, lying beside him with his head on Lucius's bare chest, foggily thought that he was hungry and Lucius could possibly be hungry too. "Lucius," a that word was delicious on his tongue… "Lucius are you hungry?"

"Mmhmm." The man replied.

"I can cook. Do you have food here?"

Lucius, in retrospect, did not find it surprising that the boy could cook. He came from a whole litter of kits and a very busy mother. Of _course_ she would teach him to cook. However at the moment, Lucius was surprised. "You cook?" He glanced down at the smiling face that looked up at him.

"Yeah, Mum sometimes needs help." This was where Lucius had his retrospective moment.

Lucius nodded, "We have plenty of food. This place was designed to hide my family and me for at least two years."

Ron had begun to get up but froze at the word of 'family'. Merlin, he'd just had sex with Malfoy's dad and a widower of just a week!

Lucius sat up and put his hand on Ron's shoulder. "Ron." The word, somehow, said everything that Ron needed to hear, even when he didn't know what he needed.

Ron put a hand over Lucius's and tossed him a smile over his shoulder. "I'll go make something for us to eat." He tossed off the blanket on top of him and got to his feet. "Eh, Lucius, where could a bloke find something to wear?"

Lucius chuckled softly and got to his feet. "Let me show you," he purred softly.

The kitchen remained empty for another hour.

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Ron lay asleep on the bed beside Lucius, snoring softly as he clutched a pillow tightly and drooled slightly from the corner of his mouth. Idly, Lucius stroked the red locks with one hand even as he turned the pages of his book with the other one. He wasn't really reading it, he already had, twice. He was thinking of Ron and how, somehow, the Griffindor boy had just managed to salvage his soul.

Sure, Lucius admitted, it just looked like they lazed around, ate and had sex but it was… it was much more than that. Sometimes they played chess too.

Lucius glanced down at the sleeping boy, slender shoulders under silken sheets, freckles all over his delicious body.

What was it… a type of healing only capable by lovers? Sexual healing? Something along that line…A twist up on the corners of his mouth alarmed Lucius he was smiling, again. He admitted, to himself, that he'd been doing that more too. Perhaps it was because he had no pressure from anyone or anything around. Perhaps it was because he was, dare he say it, happy?

"Lucius…" Ron opened his right eye briefly and slid closer to Lucius's waist. He stretched out his arms and whimpered softly.

Lucius tossed his book aside carelessly. His puppy needed him… He slid down so he lay instead of sat and pulled Ron into his embrace. He kissed the boy's cheeks and then his lips, softly, "Good morning, love."

Squinting, Ron blushed and then screwed his eyes shut as he nuzzled Lucius's chest. Ron didn't believe they'd gotten along so well at all. He expected Lucius to be a pompous prat like his son, but the man had just acted needy and demanding like a spoiled child in only a few instances. He seemed strangely attune to Ron's thoughts or at least his desires, and often knew what Ron was feeling before Ron did himself.

Like when Ron had dropped a plate on the kitchen floor and had, inexplicably, only been able to sit down and cry. Lucius just spelled the mess away and held Ron close and kissed his head. Sometimes, Ron blushed at the thought, sometimes Lucius was more of a father or a friend than a lover, but everything became sexual eventually.

Not that he could complain. Lucius was marvelous. In fact, he only felt guilty because he was such a sloppy lover. Not to mention other things…

Lucius nibbled on the high cartilage of Ron's right ear and then murmured, "You're worried about them…your friends and your family. You want to know how they are doing."

Again, the man knew exactly what was really on his mind… Ron nodded his head; he pressed soft kisses to Lucius's collarbone.

"It has been a month. Shall I take you back to them?"

Ron heard the tremulous fear in Lucius's normally toneless voice. He shook his head, clutching Lucius tighter. If he had to go…then this safe and happy peace might never return to him… "Maybe next month."

"Alright…" Lucius couldn't complain about that.

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This behavior between the two continued for the year. Sometime during each month, Lucius would ask to take Ron home and Ron would always reply with "maybe next month." Soon, however, they filled of each others company and could read each other in strange new ways.

Ron could see the minute changes in Lucius's face that told him how he truly felt inside just as Lucius could sense the plucky Griffindor's thoughts and feelings before he could.

This was how Lucius was able to tell that the time had finally come, to return Ron to his family…

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Lucius sat in his chair, reading a book while Ron idly poked the fire. Clearing his throat, the man got the attention of his lover and Ron looked up curiously at Lucius. "We must go back soon."

Ron looked away then back at him, nodding. He'd become quieter since he'd been with Lucius too, no more bursting without a care or a thought. Usually it was because his throat hurt, but mostly it was because he knew Lucius liked his quiet. "I know."

"I…I do not know what will happen after we arrive…"

Ron glanced at him, the slight stammer and hesitancy coupled with the darkening of mercury eyes and the shift of focus from Ron to the floor showed him Lucius's growing despair. Ron got up and walked over to him. "We'll work something out." He took Lucius's face in his hands and smiled. "Alright?"

Lucius pulled him into a lip crushing kiss, digging his lithe fingers into Ron's unkempt hair and dragging him into his lap with a rough pull on his pant's front. Ron gladly joined him.

They were heartily snogging each other when Lucius's wards snapped. He pushed Ron back and to the side as he leapt to his feet, his wand in his hand as he did so. Ron wiped the back of his mouth and, with a little more staggering, got to his feet. Lucius stood in front of Ron, arm out to his side protectively as the other was aimed towards the door.

The door exploded inwards under powerful curse as, surprisingly, a fully healed Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger stormed into the room. Harry lowered his wand only minutely as he glared green daggers at Lucius. Hermione looked past him and saw Ron and a smile blossomed on her lips and relaxed her worried expression. Draco's pale face had two red splotches on his high cheekbones as he looked at his father in whirling anger; he too had his wand out and pointed to the pair of them.

"Lucius Malfoy unhand my friend and I will spare your life." The utter frigidness in Harry's voice brought reality down on Ron and Lucius. Suddenly, their carefully cultured world was toppling over and they could do nothing to protect it.

Ron felt his body begin to tremble as he realized this may just be it. That kiss may be the last thing he ever feels from his lover ever again. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he thought that.

"No." Lucius said flatly. Ron could hear in Lucius's tone that he realized it too and was scrabbling after their peace and happiness just as furiously as Ron was.

"Then you leave me no choice." Harry took a step forward and…

"Don't Harry, please!" Ron jumped out in front of Lucius, arms spread wide as he stood between friends and lover. "You don't understand…"

"Yes I do! He's held you captive for a whole bloody year, Ron!" Harry snapped back. "He's kept you in this little shack doing Merlin knows what to you and all the while keeping you from your family and your friends! Step away from him Ron!"

Hermione spoke up then, "Ron it's alright to feel like that, you're just identifying with your kidnapper. When you come home it'll go away and everything can go back to normal."

Ron looked at her pitying face and saw that no matter what he said, she would not believe him. He briefly glanced over his shoulder at Lucius. The lowered gaze and set jaw showed he knew there was no alternative… "Ron, I'll go. And you can return to your family. You don't deserve to be shacked up with nutcase like me." Lucius whispered so softly that only Ron could hear him.

It wasn't the first time Ron had heard Lucius speak of himself that way, however, last time he'd solved the problem by showing how much he loved and needed Lucius. He doubted his friends would appreciate that right now.

Ron fixed Harry with a cold glare, one he'd seen Lucius give out the window on rare, brooding occasions. Harry blinked slightly but did not waver. "If you take him away from me I promise you I'll kill myself." There was a frost to his words, sharp and brutally honest.

Hermione reeled and she gasped out his name sharply. Draco just sneered and Harry shifted his weight slightly. "Ron…" There was a warning tone in Harry's voice.

Ron ignored it and shouted angrily, "I mean it Harry! If you take Lucius away from me, I swear I will kill myself! Even if you take away everything from me and lock me in a padded cell, I'll find a bloody way to die and I'll do it! Because I won't be able to live without him!"

The clatter of wood on wood hardly registered in Ron's furious mind as Lucius dropped his wand in favor of clutching his trembling young lover to his chest. Pale hands gripped Ron's shirt and Lucius mutely shook his head beside Ron's.

Ron let his arms drop to his sides, his eyes closing as he hung his head. Tears brimmed in his eyes as Lucius kissed him farewell on his ear and whispered three small, demanding words before letting him go(1). Ron stumbled forward to his knees, catching himself with his hands. Lucius walked around him, unable to look at him as he held up his hands, wrist up, to the Boy-who-lived and his son and that infuriating girl. He kept his gaze down and stopped right in front of them.

"Do it if you must." He whispered.

From behind him, Ron moaned softly, tears falling to the floor now.

Glaring and seething in anger, Draco cuffed his father's wrists and magic and shoved him out of the shack. Harry followed him to the Aurors waiting outside. Hermione dashed to Ron's side, but he shoved away from her, clutching Lucius's wand and weeping.

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There was no trial. There was nothing. They just put Lucius in Azkaban for life.

The news of this drove Ron to his room, back at the Burrow, where he locked the door and warded it to silence. After that he screamed his absolute fury and agony and then wept into his pillow. The scratchy cloth only made him want Lucius and all his silks and furs and smoothness more.

Quietly below, Hermione spoke with Harry and Draco.

"Do you believe what he said?" she whispered worriedly.

"No." Draco said flatly.

"Of course not. It will just take some time for him to come around, that's all. He'll be fine Hermione." Harry assured her. "I know him, he's my best mate."

Hermione bit her lip. She knew Ron too. But this Ron was not the same one from school. This was a…different Ron…

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Ron stared at Lucius's wand, eyes dry and pain gone. He schooled his face into nothing. He schooled his face into Lucius. He glanced in a broken mirror and noted in approval of the nothing that looked back at him.

He stood, straightening his robes and pocketing Lucius's wand as he walked out of his room and down to the dining room. His mother was in there, smiling and cooking like she usually was. At the sight of her youngest son, she smiled even brighter and came forward for a hug. "Oh, Ronny, I'm so glad you're back!"

He gave her a curious half smile. "Only for so long mother. I aim to find myself a job and an apartment."

"Oh…" She looked slightly dismayed at that, but quickly smiled again. "Of course, you're a grown boy now, aren't you?"

He nodded. "I'll be back in a while mother."

She smiled forlornly as he walked away from her. Foreboding seemed to follow her son out the door…

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"Harry!" Hermione caught up to her friend in the hallway at the Ministry. "Harry!"

He stopped and turned, "What is it?"

She grabbed his arm, her eyes wide as she said, "Ron's mum owled me this morning about Ron. She says he was going to go out for a while last Tuesday and he never came back home!"

"Last Tuesday? That's nearly a week ago!" Harry replied.

"I know."

"Oh Merlin, where is he now?" Harry moaned and rubbed his temple.

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Harry found Ron wandering the muggle streets of London. He grabbed up the arm of his friend and smiled excitedly, "Ron! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Ron gave him a nod and replied, "I'm working Harry. Kind of busy…"

"Eh? Working? Where? What job?"

"Currier." Ron replied simply, gently pulling his hand from Harry's. "I'm_working_, Potter, leave me be." He walked away quickly from Harry, who stood staring numbly after him.

Ron had just called him_Potter_.

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Ron rolled over in his bed, sweating as he rolled the thoughts over and over in his mind. How could he get to Lucius? How could he be with him again? How oh how?

Dark, forbidding thoughts rippled through his mind as he stared at his barren ceiling. They whispered ways to get where he needed to be. All he had to do was give up his soul. All he had to do was abandon his past and his future and do what he had to do.

But he couldn't, he couldn't! But he must!

In indecisive agony, he moaned and turned over again. He gripped sweat stained silk sheets and squeezed his eyes shut. If he wanted to be with Lucius then…he had to…he had to do whatever it took.

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Ron walked away from the scene the alley with no regret tugging at his soul. He had to do whatever he could to get to Lucius… He returned to his flat in a few minutes, hoping someone had caught onto his trail already. He'd only a few more muggles he could maim nigh unto death before he was executed instead of sentenced to Azkaban…

Approaching his door he noted that his wards were bent to let someone inside. Licking his lips, he opened the door to his flat and was not surprised to see Harry waiting for him there. He stared at his friend for a moment and then slowly removed his robe. Harry's irritated expression turned to horror as he saw Ron's blood stained clothing.

"Ron… what have you been…!" Harry gasped out.

And then, without a word, Ron repeated the actions of his lover. He dropped his wand to the ground and held out his hands together, wrist up as he lowered his gaze and stepped to his friend.

Harry gaped, unable to breathe. "Ron!" his voice sounded shriller than it should and he was unnerved by his own shock. But he was more unnerved by Ron's appearance. Long red hair, stoic face and blood stained clothes.

It was like he'd turned into Lucius Malfoy.

Even as he bound him up, Harry could not believe what his friend had done. And he knew that no one else would either.

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It was a short trial. Ron stood up, said he would plead guilty if they gave him a life sentence in Azkaban. The ministry was startled but decreed it a Right Course Of Action. Harry and Hermione stared in disbelief at the utter change in their best friend.

Ron did not even look at them as he was taken out of the room.

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They escorted him to his cell, right next to their latest acquisition and then left him there, to rot his youth away. There was silence for a long time and then a head of blonde hair turned and whispered into the dark, "What took you so long?"

There was a dry chuckle from the adjacent cell, along with the scrape of chains on stone. In the little light there was from the narrow barred window, his pale hand glowed.

Grating metal on stone announced the blonde's movements as he reached the bars of his cage. There were a few inches between the two sets of bars, but it was enough that the two could hook only two fingers together, instead of holding hands.

The red-haired man smiled slightly. "I came as soon as I could."

The blonde one smiled back. "I know you did."

**--------------------------****Fin-----------------------------------**

(1)See title for the words, if you didn't figure it out already.

A review would be appreciated! thanks!


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